Raxio Angola’s General Manager Maria Miguel Pinto shares insights on infrastructure, growth strategy, and Angola’s role in Africa’s digital future.
1. How has the project’s vision and role evolved since its initial announcement in 2023?
Raxio’s initial vision was highly ambitious, with a structured plan to build six data centres across Africa. Before launching in Angola, the Group established facilities in Uganda, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, DRC and Mozambique, focusing on markets where scalable digital infrastructure was still evolving. Angola entered the rollout at a later stage because it already had some experience in this sector, which made market positioning smoother and more strategic.
Since construction began in 2023 and the official inauguration took place in October last year, the project has evolved into a key enabler of Angola’s digital transformation. With strong government engagement and alignment with digital initiatives, Raxio Angola now plays a central role in supporting the country’s growing connectivity needs and helping position Angola as a regional digital hub.
2. What differentiates Raxio Angola in terms of financial sustainability, capital structure and long-term returns?
The involvement of institutional investors such as the International Finance Corporation reflects strong international confidence in both Raxio Group and Angola’s digital infrastructure potential. This backing goes beyond funding, reinforcing governance standards and long-term sustainability.
Raxio Angola benefits from a strong capital structure supported by reputable global investors and a long-term investment approach. The facility operates under internationally certified Tier III standards and follows a carrier-neutral model, providing a globally aligned, high-quality environment designed for sustainable growth.
3. How does Raxio Angola differentiate itself from other IT companies in Angola, and are there additional partnerships being explored?
Raxio operates under a colocation model, which is its primary differentiator. Clients bring their own IT infrastructure, while Raxio provides the secure environment, energy, cooling systems, connectivity and high-level physical security. The facility guarantees high availability and reliability, ensuring operational continuity.
In a digital environment where cybersecurity and data sovereignty are increasingly important, many organisations prefer to maintain ownership of their infrastructure while housing it in a certified and secure facility. Raxio enables this model and ensures that clients retain full control of their data.
In terms of partnerships, Raxio positions itself as an ecosystem rather than a competitive player, bringing together connectivity providers, cloud platforms and service partners to strengthen Angola’s overall digital infrastructure landscape.
4. How have technological advancements improved operational performance and reliability, and what innovations are planned for the future?
Raxio Angola is built according to Tier III standards, ensuring high availability through redundant power systems, independent cooling lines and multiple backup mechanisms. There is no single point of failure within the infrastructure, which guarantees service continuity even during maintenance or unexpected incidents.
The data centre has been designed with scalability in mind, allowing capacity to grow according to demand while maintaining high operational efficiency. Future plans include expanding capacity, strengthening interconnection capabilities and continuing to evolve alongside Angola’s connectivity ecosystem.
5. Can you elaborate on Raxio Angola’s sustainability and ESG strategy?
Sustainability is a core component of Raxio’s strategy, approached from both environmental and community perspectives. Environmentally, the facility incorporates energy-efficient systems and advanced cooling technologies designed to minimise environmental impact.
Before construction, detailed environmental and social impact studies were conducted, and the site was carefully selected to minimise disruption to surrounding communities. From a social perspective, Raxio Angola operates with a strong local focus, prioritising skills development, job creation and long-term knowledge transfer.
6. What are the long-term strategies to strengthen Angola’s position as a regional digital hub?
Raxio’s long-term strategy is based on phased expansion. The first phase is already operational, with additional phases planned to scale capacity progressively. This approach ensures sustainable growth aligned with market demand.
By hosting connectivity providers within the data centre, Raxio enables direct interconnection opportunities, reducing reliance on external infrastructure and strengthening Angola’s digital ecosystem. This broader ambition is to position Angola as a strategic connectivity hub bridging West and Southern Africa.
7. What values and experiences have most shaped your leadership journey?
Consistency and strong personal values have shaped my leadership journey. I believe in integrity, long-term vision and remaining resilient in the face of challenges. My background in engineering and previous leadership roles have helped me combine technical expertise with people-focused leadership.
Leading a 100% local team is a deliberate choice. I strongly believe in developing local talent and ensuring that knowledge remains within the country. Leadership, for me, is about investing in people, building systems that outlast individuals and staying true to one’s values regardless of circumstances.
I was raised to believe that the world is the size of our dreams. That belief continues to guide me today — both personally and professionally.
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